Forcepoint Security Labs Has Discovered A Current And Ongoing Compromise

Forcepoint Security Labs has discovered a current and ongoing compromise on the very popular Russian site Sprashivai[.]ru.Receiving an estimated 20 million visitors per month and ranked as the 240^th most popular website in Russia, Sprashivai[.]ru has been compromised and is silently redirecting users to the RIG Exploit Kit (EK) which is dropping the SmokeLoader (aka Dofoil) malware. Simply visiting the site is enough to end up with malware being executed onto the user’s machine leading to plug-ins which contain malicious functionality such as credential stealers and click fraud components. Carl Leonard, ‎Principal Security Analyst, Forcepoint commented below.

Carl Leonard, ‎Principal Security Analyst at Forcepoint:

“The RIG Exploit Kit operators are looking to maximise their profit by compromising a very popular site in Russia. By executing the SmokeLoader malware on Sprashivai[.]ru, threat actors are able compromise users machines silently in the background without any user interaction necessary. SmokeLoader’s primary purpose is to download plug-ins which contain malicious functionality such as credential stealers and click fraud components. This current threat could affect hundreds of thousands of users by simply taking advantage of outdated browser components, such as an old Adobe Flash Player, meaning that it is vital to ensure that all software is up to date, especially browsers and associated plug-ins.”

“Threat actors will always continue to compromise popular sites and develop new and unique ways to try and stay undetected. These criminals do not always need to resort to malvertising to tap into a pool of millions of potential victims. While crypto-ransomware remains one of the most popular weapons of choice, we are seeing that malware developers and distributors also continue to use downloaders like SmokeLoader to ultimately steal data.”